KPMG Elects Gary Wingrove as Next Global Chairman and CEO

Gary Wingrove, the chartered accountant who nearly doubled revenue and headcount across KPMG's Australian unit in eight years, was confirmed by KPMG's global council as the next global chairman and CEO of KPMG International. His four-year term begins Oct. 1, when he takes over from Bill Thomas, who is retiring after nine years and a tenure that grew global revenue by more than half.

Wingrove has spent the years since leaving KPMG Australia in 2021 as the firm's global chief operating officer, a role in which he oversaw both an AI-adoption campaign and the consolidation of dozens of smaller affiliates into regional hubs. Top partners nominated him for the global leadership role earlier this month before the global council formally confirmed him Wednesday.

The appointment lands at a moment of real pressure on the Big Four's operating model. KPMG has invested billions to put AI into the hands of its professionals and to deliver AI-based services to clients, and the technology is already reshaping how the industry prices work, delivers it, and staffs for it. Jerry Maginnis, a former KPMG office managing partner and now a senior adviser to Centri Business Consulting, called AI "arguably the biggest development in decades" that will "have a huge impact on the way KPMG and other firms serve their clients."

Wingrove's record drew explicit praise from outside observers. "Nothing quite gives reassurance like a platform where somebody has in a very short period of time increased operational efficiencies" along with "tremendous" revenue growth, said James Cox, a corporate and securities law professor at Duke Law School. In his own statement after Wednesday's confirmation, Wingrove framed his priorities plainly: "KPMG is a people-first business," pledging to ensure clients can tap professional expertise "while also benefiting from AI-backed solutions."

The leadership shuffle extends beyond the top seat. KPMG International also named Rob Fisher as global head of advisory and Steve Chase as global head of AI and digital innovation, filling two roles vacated by retirements. Fisher, based in Richmond, Virginia, takes over from Carl Carande, who is leaving after 25 years at the firm. A 30-year KPMG veteran who began in the audit practice before moving into consulting, Fisher will lead more than 100,000 global advisory professionals while continuing as vice chair for advisory at KPMG US. "Amidst the disruption of AI and compound volatility in the external environment, it is more critical than ever that we invest in capabilities that help clients navigate with speed, innovation and trust," Fisher said.

Chase, based in Dallas, becomes global head of AI and digital innovation, succeeding David Rowlands, who is retiring after serving as KPMG's inaugural holder of that title. Chase has been with KPMG since 2004, previously held roles as US consulting leader and US management consulting leader, and before joining KPMG spent nine years at BearingPoint as VP of the wireless and cable practice. He will continue as vice chair for AI and digital innovation at KPMG US, a position he has held since October 2023. "As agents usher in the next wave of disruption, we have a real opportunity to lead with clarity, consistency, and speed," Chase said.

The backdrop for all three appointments is a firm posting the fastest annual revenue growth among its Big Four peers for two consecutive years, with revenue rising 5.1% to $39.8 billion last year. Whether Wingrove can extend that trajectory while managing AI's structural pressure on audit and advisory pricing will define his term from its first day.